It took a week longer than fans had hoped, but the Buffalo Sabres finally seem to have found their game. After three straight losses to start the season, the team roared back on Wednesday night with an 8–4 win over the Ottawa Senators, a game that felt like a statement more than a score.
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It wasn’t just the goals — though there were plenty of them. It was the energy. Head coach Lindy Ruff called it passion, and you could feel it from the bench to the crowd. “To kill it, and then end up getting a short-handed goal, I thought we showed a lot of life,” Ruff said afterward. “We fed off the energy, and the building came to life.” That’s been missing in Buffalo for too long.
Item One: McLeod, Zucker, and Quinn Lead the Way
Newcomer Ryan McLeod looked like the spark plug Buffalo hoped he’d be when they traded for him. He scored twice, finished with a team-best plus-3, and played with a mix of confidence and pace that the team had been lacking through its opening stretch.
Jason Zucker and Jack Quinn each added two goals of their own, showing that the top nine is starting to click. What stood out most, though, was the Sabres’ willingness to attack — wave after wave. The Senators couldn’t keep up.
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And then there was Zach Benson, making his season debut wearing a face shield after taking a puck to the face in practice. Four assists later, the 19-year-old looked like a player who belonged. It wasn’t just the points — it was his touch, his vision, and his calm under pressure. Ruff praised his poise afterward, noting that Benson’s game has matured quickly.
Item Two: Alex Lyon vs. His Former Team
Saturday brings an intriguing wrinkle. Alex Lyon, now the Sabres’ starter, faces the Florida Panthers, the team he helped carry during their 2023 run to the Stanley Cup Final.
Lyon was one of those unlikely playoff heroes in Florida, going 9–4–2 when Sergei Bobrovsky went down injured. His play that spring kept the Panthers’ season alive. Now, at 32, he’s trying to find the same consistency in Buffalo.
Through four games, Lyon’s 1–3–0 record doesn’t tell the whole story. His .912 save percentage shows he’s been solid behind a team still sorting out its defensive rhythm. Facing his old team could be the kind of test that helps him — and the Sabres — see where they truly stand.
Item Three: Sabres Injury Report: Danforth Out, Samuelsson Ready to Return
The Sabres will be without one forward, but should get a key defenseman back for Saturday’s matchup with the Panthers. Justin Danforth is expected to miss more than a month with a lower-body injury suffered on Wednesday against the Senators. Coach Ruff confirmed the timeline on Friday, saying Danforth will be out for a while. The veteran winger hadn’t yet registered a point in his first four games of the season but was playing steady minutes in a bottom-six role. He’s projected to return sometime in November or December if recovery stays on track.
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On the positive side, Mattias Samuelsson is expected to return to the lineup after missing two games with an upper-body issue. He was a full participant in Friday’s practice and should slide back into his regular spot on the blue line against Florida.
Through two games this season, Samuelsson has one assist, five blocked shots, and five hits — the kind of steady, physical presence Buffalo has missed. With him back, Zach Metsa, recalled from the American Hockey League (AHL) Rochester Americans earlier in the week, will likely sit as a healthy scratch.
What’s Next for the Sabres: Turning One Win Into a Trend
One big win doesn’t mean a turnaround, but it can mark a shift. Ruff’s message this week has been about sustaining effort — not just chasing momentum. Buffalo has the scoring depth, and the power play is showing life, but the test now is consistency.
The Panthers, meanwhile, arrive in Buffalo in search of their own spark. They’ve dropped three straight on the road and have scored just four goals in those games. The Sabres have a chance to catch them wobbling and keep their own confidence rolling.
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If the Sabres can bottle the intensity they showed against Ottawa — the emotion, the pace, and the purpose — this could be the afternoon they put their rocky start behind them. Ruff’s crew doesn’t need to be perfect. They need to keep being what they were Wednesday night: alive, engaged, and hard to play against.
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